Oh man, I wish it was Fall 2013. The reason? I just saw that Skylanders Swap Force is coming out in 2013. The game looks fantastic and I can’t wait to play Swap Force.

What is Skylanders Swap Force?

Swap Force is the latest in the Skylanders video game series. Take a look at this video of Skylanders Swap Force from the 2.5.13 launch party in NYC –

Are you with me? Super excited for Skylanders Swap Force.

Swappable Skylanders Means 250 Times The Fun

There will be 16 new swappable Skylanders Swap Force characters at launch. That might not sound like much, but figure in you can mix and match the tops and bottoms of the figures and you come up with 256 different Skylanders! Now, you need to understand that their powers and movements change as you shift their body parts. Throw robot legs on a guy and he has robot movement.

In addition to swapping, Skylanders Swap Force also introduces new Swap Zones that have fun mini-games like flying and climbing. Again, the graphics from the launch party look incredible and the gameplay will be much improved.

As you can tell, I don’t think Fall 2013 will come fast enough for our family. We are counting down the days until the launch of Skylanders Swap Force!

I have always been a fan of Air Hogs RC helicopters, but in recent years it has seemed like some companies were doing more in terms of innovation. Yes, Air Hogs has things like the Battle Tracker and Hoover Assault – lots of bling for their RC toys, but I am talking about pure remote control helicopter flying fun.

The Air Hogs Gyroblade Helicopter Proves Air Hogs Still Has It!

I just read about the new Air Hogs Gyroblade helicopter. Here is a quick blurb on it –

“With full 3-channel control and gyroscopic stabilization, the Gyroblade is a state-of-the-art high performance R/C heli. Its metal reinforced body provides enhanced protection against crash landings making it extremely durable.”

That all sounded great, but that is just what Air Hogs sais – not very objective. So, I did a little searching and found this video of the Air Hogs Gyroblade –

Wow, that looks pretty incredible. I love the single rotor design and just seeing the way they control the forward and backward movement, it is clear that a lot of design effort when into making this heli.

I am trying to find a place where I can buy the Air Hogs Gyroblade online – maybe it is not in stores yet? I just checked DadDoes.Com to see if they have a written review and places to buy – nothing up there yet.

Well, I will keep looking for the Air Hogs Gyroblade Helicopter and once I find it I will post a full review.

“Dad, with all the stuff on Google, I can’t find any real and honest toys reviews. Am I looking in the wrong place?”

As you can see, I have a very wise son. He is basically right, it is very hard to find real world and honest toy reviews. The task was made harder by the fact that he was looking for Toy Reviews for 2013 and it was still 2012. But come on, he is only 10!

Where Are The Honest Toy Reviews?

It turns out that most sites create a toy review in this way…

Read a Press Release on a New Toy

Write an Intro Paragraph about the New Toy

Close with How Fun the New Toy Is

Yep, you read that right – countless toy reviews are based on press releases. In fact, many writers never touch the toys they are reviewing.

How Do You Know if They Really Reviewed the Toys?

Guess what my son figured out – videos don’t lie! He found this DadDoesBlog Toy Review Channel and it has videos of the writers playing with the toys. Boom – instant proof that they actually played with the toys. We watched countless videos from DadDoes.Com and they were great. My son is hooked and so am I.

I love shooting videos. Now my kids want to shoot videos as well. The problem is, I don’t really love the idea of my 8 year old, running around, filming his Nerf wars with my $700 to replace iPhone 5.

Is Their a POV Video Camera for Kids?

This got me searching online for an inexpensive video camera for kids, ideally one that they could strap to a helmet or their handle bars. I quickly found the GoPro, which is a highly regard POV camera, but at $200, that was more than I wanted to spend for my 8 year old.

A few more searches and I think I found the perfect video camera for kids. It is made by Jakks Pacific and is call the Action Shot Camera. It is a POV video camera and it is made for kids. Maybe the best part…the price. At $49.95, it is not going to be the end of the world if my son smashed it.

Here is a great video review of the Action Shot Digital Video Camera –

I Will Review the Action Shot Camera and Report Back

After watching the above video and reading the review of the Action Shot Camera, I am sold. I am going to pick one up this weekend and have my son try it out. No, it is not HD (that would cost $99 for the HD Action Shot Camera) but I doubt my son and his friends care.

Why do all Barbie dolls have girls wanting to look perfect? And who is to say that the Barbie look is the “perfect” look? As a Mom I am tired of Barbie dolls and the stereotypes they reinforce. The problem is, girls like to play with dolls, so what is a Mom to do?

OOTW Dolls from Blip Toys to The Rescue

I did some searching online for dolls for girls that celebrate being different and care about more than just good lucks. My search led me to the O.O.T.W. Dolls from Blip Toys. The OOTW Girls look really funky, fun and different.

I found a very good review of OOTW Dolls and also an excellent video that shows two of the dolls in action. Check out this video –

The two dolls in the video are Techno and Vizi. I really like how different looking they are. This will teach our girls that there is no one perfect way to look. Everyone can look different and be different and still be beautiful. I have not checked out the online world yet – called Girlaxy, but it has a great name.

I will be buying the OOTW Dolls and see if my girls love it as much as I do!

It may be 95 degrees outside, but that doesn’t stop toy companies from thinking about Christmas. It is right around now that the toy companies will start to release their holiday toys. Every company is hoping to have the hot holiday toys for the 2012 season.

Air Hogs Ups the R/C Ante

Air Hogs is looking to make waves this year by offering some R/C toys with very advanced technology. Recently we saw this video for the Air Hogs Battle Tracker –

It looks very cool from the video. A helicopter that fires discs and a robotic battle turret that fights back. I could see any boy over 10 loving the Air Hogs Battle Tracker. I am just a little beyond 10 🙂 and I loved playing the Air Hogs Batte Tracker

Next up from Air Hogs is the Hover Assault call/helicopter. Another really fun toy from Air Hogs. The Hoover Assault can drive like a car, hop like a rabbit and fly like an eagle. It is a little hard to expain how it all works, so let’s role the video

The Hover Assault is great fun to play with, but it does take some time to master the controls.

Please check back soon as we hope to have our own pre-release reviews done as quickly as possible.

Zombies on the iPad and iPhone have been big for a while. There is no shortage of apps that feature Zombies in endless battles. So, what is so different about the new Zombie Burbz game for the iPad from AppGear? You control your onscreen Zombie with a toy figure Zombie!

Augmented Reality Hits the iPad App Market

Zombie Burbz is the first game from AppGear. AppGear is bridging the gap between apps and toys. You use a toy figure Zombie to unlock different missions, but that is not all. You also use your toy Zombie directly on the screen of the iPad to control the action in the game.

Here is a great video we found on YouTube that shows Zombie Burbz being played…

As you can see, the toy figures are really used in the game. It looks like it cost about $10 to get a pack of 4 Zombie figures. The thing is, only 1 of those Zombie figures actually interacts with the game, the other 3 are just for collecting.

Overall, the whole AppGear line looks pretty fun. I love Zombie games, and having a toy zombie figure to control the action is a neat twist.

Also, you might want to check out the DadDoes.Com site – they have a ton of product reviews and just about everyone has a video that goes with it as well.

National Geographic has been around for ever. It seems like parents love National Geographic for the wonderful pictures and lessons on conservation and protecting our planet. While the National Geographic magazine has been a staple in homes for years, in 2012 their is a new National Geographic item – toys!

Uncle Milton has now released a series of nine toys under the National Geographic label. The toys are being call the National Geographic Explorer Series. We did a quick search for reviews on the National Geographic toys and found this excellent video review from DadDoes.Com –

The video shows 3 toys from the line – the Sky Flare, Shoe Lights and Earth Tag. After watching the video, it is clear the toys do not represent brand new concepts. Most of the toys have already been made in other forms, but it is the Activity Guide that comes with it that gives the toy the National Geographic feel.

With all the electronics my kids play, I am into any toy that gets them playing outside and learning more about our planet and the environment. I think I will give some of the toys a try.

If you walk into a toy store you will see endless toys for kids ages 3 and up. This is great, unless you happen to have a toddler. For some reason, there are no games for toddlers. Yes, there are plenty of toys and little stuffed animals for toddlers, but if you want to play a game, your selection is very limited.

ThinkFun Jr Looks to Change Things with Roll & Play

ThinkFun Jr recently released their Roll & Play game and it looks perfect for the 3 and under crowd. The concept is very simple, kids roll a big plush cube and see what color comes up. There are 6 sets of colored cards, to match the 6 colors on the cube. You simply selected the colored card that matches the cube. Each card has some funny action to do. Maybe mo like a cow, or count to three.

Here is a video that shows the Roll & Play in action –

The great part about Roll and Play is that there are no set rules, you can come up with what is most fun for your whole family. Give it a try, Roll and Play looks fun for the whole family.